YSR Cong calls for Andhra bandh on Friday over Telangana bill

YSR Congress Party on Friday called a general strike across Andhra Pradesh protesting the tabling of Telangana Bill in Lok Sabha terming it as a "mockery" of democracy.

YSRCP president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said his party would fight tooth and nail to stall the bill and mobilise support of all opposition parties for united Andhra Pradesh.

"The Speaker announcing that the Bill is tabled without taking into consideration the opinion of the House is a sheer mockery of democracy which has happened ironically in Parliament where democracy has to be safeguarded.

"We condemn the manner in which the Bill has entered the House and it is a black day for parliamentary democracy," Jagan said.

"The Chair announcing that the Bill is tabled within 10 seconds of her arrival shows that the Centre has no respect for democratic values and wants to push through its agenda by hook or crook and to sternly oppose this, we call for Andhra Pradesh bandh on February 14," he said.

In a hard-hitting attack, Jagan said it was "very shameful" on the part of Congress to indulge in divisive politics.

Jagan also launched a vitriolic attack on Congress president Sonia Gandhi, saying she is behaving "worse than Hitler and is carrying out the division in an authoritarian and unilateral manner".

"We will fight till the last post and take up every form of agitation. We will explore legal option as well. The apex court cannot call the petition pre-mature this time after seeing what has happened in the House. In the next two days, I will lobby with all opposition parties and BJP to garner support for a united state," Jagan told reporters in New Delhi.

"By Monday when the Lok Sabha meets again, we will ensure to gather enough support to stall the Bill and the undemocratic division," he added.